It’s already time to start shopping for early laptop deals in Australia’s EOFY sales, as a number of brands have jumped in early with discounted prices. While we don’t expect the bulk of the sales until late May and early June, the deals available now are well worth a look. As always, to take advantage of the EOFY sales on your next tax return, you need to buy a device for work before June 30, otherwise you'll have to wait until July 2025 to claim it.
If you're looking for a very portable device, there are a few early deals for the Apple MacBook Air on Amazon, with the usual 10% discount. Or, for the Windows-inclined, HP has up to 40% off a range of laptops. These include a HP Pavilion Aero for AU$800 off, or you can save AU$1,026 on a HP Envy 2-in-1. Not to be outdone, Lenovo has discounts of up to 65%, which means you can save a whopping AU$2,880 off the RRP on a ThinkPad Z16.
All set for work and looking for a gaming laptop? Then you definitely want to check out both the Lenovo and HP early deals. Our pick of the gaming deals is the RTX 4080-equipped Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, with a massive AU$2,600 discount.
Whether you want a classic clamshell device or a versatile 2-in-1, the team here at TechRadar has searched high and low to find the best laptop deals in the early 2024 EOFY sales, and we’ll continue to do so through the month of June when the offers come in thick and fast. Scroll down to check out bargains from big brands including Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Microsoft and more.
Retailers offering EOFY laptop deals
Below is a list of the main brands and retailers with EOFY laptop discounts to check out in case you don’t find what you’re looking for in our selection of hand-picked offers:
- Lenovo: up to 65% off select laptops
- HP: EOFY presale with up to 40% off selected laptops
- Microsoft: autumn discounts on select Surface devices and accessories
- Amazon: great source for Apple MacBooks
- Bing Lee: save on Acer, Asus, Lenovo and more
- Dell: best-price offers during EOFY
- eBay: up to 18% off Microsoft’s official eBay store
- JB Hi-Fi: shop up to AU$1,000 off laptops
- Mwave: save on Asus, HP, Lenovo and more
- The Good Guys: deals on Acer, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and more
Best EOFY 2024 laptop deals
Everyday laptops
Gaming laptops
How to find the best laptop deal during EOFY 2024
When it comes to end-of-financial-year sales, there will be a plethora of discounted laptops on offer. It’s not a purchase you make every day, so it’s understandable if you don’t yet know the difference between your CPUs and GPUs, and all the jargon in between.
Whether it’s technical specifications, brand or type of device you’re unsure of, we’re here to help you make the right choice for your needs.
There’s sure to be a number of eye-catching discounts when it comes to tax-time bargain hunting, but the best advice we can give you is that if a laptop deal seems too good to be true, chances are it’s an older machine. While you’ll save a packet up front, an older model may not have enough power in its internals to keep running in the years to come, so you’ll likely have to upgrade sooner than you would’ve liked.
To help you avoid this, we’ve put together a short guide below so you can make an informed decision and get yourself the best laptop deal this June.
Features to look for
1. Brand name
So, what exactly should you keep an eye out for when buying a laptop? The best place to start is with the brand name. Considering you’ll be making a worthwhile investment, you’ll want to opt for a brand name you trust, such as Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Acer or Asus. Proceed with caution when it comes to brand names you are unfamiliar with even if they come cheap – the initial saving may not prove to be worth it in the long run.
2. Portability
Once you’ve decided on the brand, the next thing to consider is the size of the machine. Most laptops come with screen sizes between 13 inches and 17 inches. The smaller sizes will certainly be more portable and, oftentimes, they’re more affordable as well (though this isn’t always the case – we’re looking at you, XPS 13).
The larger laptops, on the other hand, will offer more screen real estate, and more space inside the chassis to house powerful components, including a bigger battery. To determine the laptop’s display size, you’ll want to take a look at the tech specs. It’s not uncommon to see the screen size in the name of a product, take for instance, the HP Laptop 17-cn3028TU which, as the name suggests, has a 17-inch display.
You’ll also want to consider the weight of the device – if you need to carry it around for work a lot, then a compact notebook or 2-in-1 weighing about 1.5kg or less is ideal.
3. Technical specifications
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty – tech specs. There are four main components you’ll want to consider in this space: processor, system memory, storage and, depending on your needs, graphics.
First up, the processor, also referred to as the CPU. The processor is essentially the brains of a machine, and if not buying an Apple laptop, there are two major players in this race: Intel and AMD. The latest MacBooks use the excellent Apple M series CPUs. The latest for 2024 is the M3, while 2022 and 2023 models use the M2, while the older M1 is in 2020 and 2021 models. All three are great, but you will get best performance from the M2 and M3 CPUs. The M2 and M3 come in standard form, as well as more powerful Pro and Max versions (and even an Ultra version for the M2).
The most common CPU you’ll come across in non-Apple laptops is Intel, and its families of chips are available in either the Core range (i3, i5, i7, i9) or the new Core Ultra 5, 7 or 9. This is the first year for Core Ultra CPUs in the EOFY sales, so you can be sure they are the latest models.
While Intel’s Core i9 or Core Ultra 9 is the latest and most powerful processor available, the average user isn’t likely to need that kind of grunt unless it’s for heavy-duty tasks such as gaming and video editing.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Core i3 chips are built for basic tasks such as web browsing and word processing, and are ideal for someone who doesn’t require much power from their laptop.
For most people, the Core Ultra 5 and Ultra 7 series (or Core i5 and Core i7 series) will fit just right. However, that’s not all you’ll need to consider – each Intel chip comes in a generation, and the most current is the 14th iteration. That said, last year's 13th-gen i5 CPUs are pretty powerful and you can confidently buy a machine powered by it.
In comparison to Intel, there are fewer laptops powered by AMD Ryzen CPUs, though the Ryzen 5 and 7 processors can compete well with Intel – especially when it comes to maximising battery life.
The next thing to consider is system memory, also known as RAM. This is the component of your laptop that’s designed to hold your data while it’s in use, and 16GB of RAM is fairly standard across consumer laptops. You will also see 8GB of RAM, but unless you plan for very basic use such as surfing the web, 16GB is the better option. System memory is important in terms of multitasking, so those in need of a machine for gaming, video editing or design programs, should consider 32GB.
In terms of storage, it’ll come in the form of either a solid-state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). SSDs are what you’ll now commonly find in laptops, and we’d recommend you stick with them. They offer very reliable and long-lasting performance, and you’ll find that apps and programs will load much quicker. 256GB is the minimum typically seen, and 512GB or 1TB is ideal if you work with large files.
Finally, to the graphics, otherwise known as the GPU. If you’re a casual gamer, laptops with integrated graphics should be fine – and this is what you’ll find in most laptops. That means the GPU is built into the CPU, offering basic performance. Notably, the new Intel Core Ultra CPUs have improved graphics compared to the older processors.
If you’re deep into gaming, then you’ll need a discrete GPU that sits separate from the CPU. That will typically come in the form of Nvidia but there are occasional laptops with AMD Radeon GPUs. However, it’s worth noting that prices can soar quickly when it comes to powerful GPUs, and the laptops tend to be larger and heavier to accommodate the extra cooling needed.
4. Display
Most mid-range laptops will offer a Full HD (1920 x 1080) display as standard, but it’s becoming increasingly common to see 16:10 ratios and 1920 x 1200 resolutions. These screens offer a little more vertical resolution, and are our go-to for most uses. There will be more budget options with 1366 x 768 resolutions, which is fine for smaller screens but is generally best avoided.
A higher resolution screen will get you a crisper image, but it’ll be a drain on your battery life and come at a cost. So while a 2.5K (2560 x 1440) or 4K (3840x2160) screen may look and sound like a great idea, it typically results in slightly reduced performance and battery life. OLED panels are beginning to appear in laptops, though they come at a significantly higher price point, and there can be burn-in issues over time.
In the end, though, it’s sometimes worth sacrificing a bit of image quality for a smoother frame rate and longer battery life.
